Police in Sembabule are holding three of their own police officers for shooting a civilian to death.
The suspects all police officers attached to Sembabule district police station had been deployed to provide security at a musical concert held at Crystal Center Disco hall in Sembabule last night.
The suspects in police custody have been identified as PC Joseph Mwiru, ASSP Umar Kavuma and another who is yet to be identified by police.
The trio’s arrest comes after a shooting at the disco hall in which Paul Ssempira34, a resident of Lukwasi Village, Kawanda parish, Lugusulu Sub County was shoot dead during a scuffle at the leisure center.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Ssempira and other revelers developed a miss understanding after getting a disagreement on sharing drinks with his colleagues.
A scuffle erupted when the revelers started fighting for drinks which prompted police officers that had been deployed to guard the area to intervene to restore the situation.
The Southern Region Police Spokesperson, Noah Sserunjogi, says that they had deployed four police officers at the center to provide security during the musical show.
He says that statements recorded by the police officers indicate that Ssempira tried to disarm a police officer after fighting him that prompted the officer to open fire in self defense and a bullet accidentally hit him.
Serunjogi however, says that police is hunting for a local defense officer (Reserve force) who was also guarding at the crime scene to help police with investigations into the matter.
The incident has however, drawn bitter reactions from members of the public protesting against the police’s conduct claiming that the action of shooting at unarmed civilians was not called for.
Serunjogi has regretted the incident asking locals to stay calm saying that police is going to investigate the case to its logical conclusion adding that justice will be served.
The deceased’s body has been taken to hospital for autopsy as investigations into the matter goes on.
